Hydraulic valves are sometimes used to regulate pressure in a supply pipe. These valves can be operated manually or by means of actuators that need a source of power, such as electric power.
When these valves are installed in remote sites with respect to the power grid, electric generators have to be taken to the site where the valves are located to power the corresponding actuators and to enable operating said valves.
Some proposals based on hydraulic actuators, which use the energy provided by the pressure of the fluid itself that is carried through the pipe to operate the valve, have been disclosed to solve this drawback. Nevertheless, such proposals are not versatile nor do they offer the possibility of operating the valve other than the complete opening or closing of the valve.
A first objective of the invention is therefore a system whereby the valve can be operated, for example to regulate the pressure of the fluid to a predetermined set point pressure, which can further be selected as needed and in a very simple manner.
Another objective of the invention is a system that offers the possibility of regulating the pressure of the fluid automatically and according to two different set point pressures, for example for regulating the pressure of the fluid to a first daytime set point pressure, i.e., during peak hours; and for regulating the pressure of the fluid to a lower second nighttime set point pressure, during off-peak hours, to reduce losses of the distribution network downstream of the valve.
The system must furthermore be compatible with the valves that are used, i.e., no adjustments need to be made in existing installations.
A secondary objective of the invention is for the system to allow different ways of putting it into practice in which the set point pressure or pressures can be changed and pressure can be modulated remotely, for example from a control center or a local control system by means of an automaton.